Mail-carrying cabinet.



PATENTED JULY 9, 1907. M. s. DARLING,G. N. PRESTON & M. n. BRIOKSON.

MAIL CARRYING CABINET. .APPLIOATIOK rmzn ran. a, 1007.

2 again-411mm 1.

WITNESSES: Q1 A a. 4 5W 1. VEJVTORS;

THE "cams PIYIRJ cm, WASHINGTON, 04 c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELL S. DARLING, GEORGE N. PRESTON, .AND MARTIN D. ERIOKSON, OF SPRINGVALLEY,

' WISCONSIN.

MAIL-CARRYING- CABINET.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed February 8, 1907. Serial No. 356,381.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MELL S. DARLING, GEORGE N. PRESTON, and MARTIN D.ERICKSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Spring Valley, inthe county of Pierce and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Mail-Carrying Cabinets; and we do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

Our invention relates to mail carrying devices; and the object is toprovide a box or cabinet divided into compartments or pigeon-holes fromwhich mail may be delivered by any person delivering mail from house tohouse in the city or country, especially by carriers using a vehicle;the device is therefore especially adapted for use by rural mailcarriers.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a face view or rear elevation of the device shown as mountedupon the front portion of a buggy body, the dashboard being removed togive room for the device, and the door is partly broken away. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the plate secured upon the buggy and holding the devicedetachably secured by hooks and bolts intersected close above the boardin said view. Fig.3 is a left hand side elevation of Fig. 1 with thefront end of the buggy shown only in dotted outlines.

Referring to the drawing by letters of reference, A designates the sidesand B the bottom of the front end of a buggy or sled used by the mailcarrier for delivering letters and packages. From the front board 0 isremoved the usual dashboard and a board or plate D is secured by screwsE, or bolts applied as indicated by one bolt F. Said plate is providedwith four slotted holes G G and H H, of which the latter are enlarged atone end as shown in Fig. 2.

The mail carrying cabinet or rack J is preferably cylindrical ordrum-shaped and is provided at its top with a handle L by which to carryit to and from the buggy, and at its bottom with four legs to stand on.Two of said legs are formed with hooks K adapted to pass downwardthrough the holes G and take hold below the plate D, and two of them areperforated for bolts L, whose heads pass downward through the wide endsof slots H and take hold below the plate when pushed into the narrowends of the slots, which is done by pushing the nail holder J with thehooks K into engagement. In the position thus described the mail box Jis securely held by tightening the thumb nuts M on said bolts. When-themailbox or cabinet is to be removed from the plate D the nuts M areloosened and l the box moved sufficiently sidewise to allow the hooks ofthe plate.

The box or cabinet J is permanently closed at its rear side, which isturned forward on the vehicle so that the front side or door N is turnedtoward the driver, who also delivers the mail.

In the center of the stationary back 0, andcleats P secured thereon, isfixed one end of a horizontal stud Q, on whose front end is retained bya pin R the cleat P of the detachable revoluble door N, which carries aseries of slidable lids S S S each of which is held practicallywater-tight against the door N by springarms S. Each lid opens into acircular row of mail holding cells or pigeon-holes T T, T and T exceptthe lid S which opens both into row T and T.

U designate small plates fixed adjacent to each pigeon-hole and bearingthe number of the letter-box on the route whose mail is carried in thepigeon-hole.

The mail is distributed into the several pigeon-holes either through theopenings closed by the sliding lids, or with the door N removed.

In delivering the mail along the route the lids are opened one by oneand the cover N turned so that the proper box number appears, theletters are removed and placed in the box at or near the house or fenceat the place of delivery, this operation is repeated for each place ofdelivery until all the pigeon-holes are emptied and the gathered-up maildeposited in them for transportationto the post ofiice. It will beobserved that the cover or door N revolves so to say within the cabinet,the latter having a rim V projecting forwardly over the edges of thedoor so as to prevent rain and snow from falling inside the door. Saidrim is however provided at its lowest point with a notch W for theescape of rainwater blown against the door. In Fig. 3 only the uppersliding lid S is shown, and on it is shown a finger catch X for movingthe slide; such catch may also be formed of the over-bent end Y of thelid, which bend also serves to stiffen the only edge of the lid notsteadied by the ledges Z.

a indicate cleats or strips stiffening the cabinet where the legs I) arefastened. c c are clearing notches in the plate D for the drivers legsto get as far as possible in under the mail cabinet, while the notches dd are to save material.

Having now described our invention, what we claim 1. In a device of theclass described, a cabinet adapted to be detachably secured to a maildelivering vehicle and having pigeon-holes arranged in concentriccircles, a revoluble door covering all the pigeon-holes, a lid on thedoor for each circle of pigeon-holes, whereby when the door is turnedall the mail in each circle may be reached by open ing one lid.

2. In a device of the class described, a cabinet adapted K and theheadsof the bolts L to slip upward and out to be detachably secured to ainail delivering vehicle and having pigeon-holes arranged in concentriccircles, a revolubie door covering all the pigeon-holes, a lid on thedoor for each circle of pigeon-holes whereby when the door is turned allthe mail in each circle may be reached by opening one lid, and means forholding such lids water tight.

3. The combination with a mail distributing vehicle, of a board or platesecured upon its front end, a mail carrying cabinet or box detachablysecured to the plate and having concentric circles of pigeon-holesopening toward the mail carrier seated on the vehicle, a revoluble doorclosing said pigeon-holes and lids on the cover for reaching all the wpigeon-holes as the door is revolved, said cabinet having a shield orguard projecting over the edges of the door and formed with an outletfor rain blown by the wind against the door.

4. The combination with a mail distributing vehicle, of a board or platesecured upon its front end, a mail carrying cabinet or box detachably,secured to the plate and having concentric circles of pigeon-holesopening toward the mail carrier seated in the vehicle, a revolubie doorclosing said pigeon-holes and lids on the cover for reaching all thepigeon-holes as the door is revolved, said cabinet being" cylindricaland having the door at one end of the cylinder, legs upon one side ofthe cylinder and a hand-hold at the opposite side, and means forsecuring the legs to said board or plate in a readily detachable manner.

5. A mail carrying box of cylindrical form and adapted to occupy ahorizontal position, the same having a fixed bottom, an arm projectingcentrally from the bottom and to the other end of the cylinder, arevoluble cylinder cover at the free end of the arm, and means forholding it detachably thereon, a rack work adapted for holding the mailin assorted condition in the box, and doors or lids on the revolublecover for reaching the mail.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in pres ence of twowitnesses.

MELL s. DARLING. GEORGE N, PRESTON. MARTIN D. ERICKSON.

Witnesses:

If. H. GRASLIE, C. D. SILBERUS.

